January  10,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
33 
Pear  Doyenne  du  Cornice. 
I  was  quite  aware  that  this  Pear  had  received  awards  for  cultural 
excellence  from  the  Fruit  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society, 
but  I  have  no  knowledge  of  its  having  been  presented  to  the  committee 
for  a  certificate  or  an  award  of  merit.  I  must,  however,  take  exception 
to  the  assumption  of  Mr.  Fewtrell  that  because  the  Glastonbury  Pear 
{also  Nauvelle  Fulvie  and  Olivier  des  Serres)  received  first-class 
certificates  they  are  necessarily  equal  in  excellence  to  Doyenne  du 
Comice.  With  all  fruits  thus  honoured  there  must  be  varying  degrees 
in  excellence,  and  it  is  so  in  this  case.  I  may  be  open  to  censure  for 
saying  in  relation  to  large  Pears  that  whilst  such  fruits  have  soft, 
succulent,  and  smooth  flesh,  this  contains  a  superabundance  of  water, 
and  further  that  fruits  of  less  size,  but  not  necessarily  small,  usually 
have  higher  or  richer  flavour,  let  the  variety  be  what  it  may. — A.  D. 
- - - 
Topiary  Work  at  Elvastoo  Castle. 
In  this  sensation-mongering  age  of  ours  doubtless  the  oddity  of 
the  thing  (illustrated  on  pages  13  and  15)  will  attract  attention,  even 
favourable,  among  the  irresponsible  ones  of  your  readers.  However  it 
strikes  the  lover  of  beauty  in  Nature,  the  time  and  opportunity  devoted 
to  such  tyranny  of  subjects  is  misspent.  In  Nature  we  find  all  the 
charms  of  beauty  in  the  endless  forms  of  coniferous  life  not  exceeded 
by  any  one  c'ass  of  plants,  and  without  affording  the  excuse  of  utility 
in  training  and  assisting  Nature.  Hence  the  principle  here  applied  is 
a  remnant  of  barbarism,  and  ranks  with  the  disfigurement  of  Chinese 
female  toes.  The  Japan  method  of  dwarfing  Conifers  is,  if  well  done, 
on  the  contrary,  admirable  in  effect  in  well  trained  specimens,  some 
of  them  assuming  all  the  characteristic  beauty  and  pioturesqueness 
of  a  fine  and  sturdy  British  Oak  seen  through  the  wrong  end  of  a 
telescope. 
One  would  fain  believe  the  illustration  (page  15),  with  Araucarias 
alone  left  natural,  was  the  recrudescence  of  some  antediluvian  epoch  of 
immature  creation  in  its  early  evolution,  if  it  did  not  resemble  rather 
the  corpse  of  something  or  other.  Some  things  need  only  being 
mentioned  to  find  all  agreed  upon  whose  opinion  is  worth  having. — 
H.  H.  Raschen. 
- - 
Black  Morocco  and  Other  Grapes. 
There  has  been  much  written  of  late  regarding  the  Diamond  Jubilee, 
a  subject  which  I  have  no  wish  to  enter  into,  but  in  passing  I 
may  note  that  I  believe  this  handsome  new  variety  is  quite  distinct 
from  the  grand  old  Black  Morocco  Grape,  which  I  used  to  think  was 
unequalled  as  a  late  sort  till  Lady  Downe’s  Seedling  took  a  leading 
position.  The  first  I  heard  of  the  latter  was  from  the  late  Mr.  Thomson, 
of  Clovenfords,  then  head  gardener  at  Dalkeith,  who  had  discovered  its 
value  as  a  “  keeper  ”  of  much  excellence,  and  that  great  cultivator 
proved  what  he  said  by  exhibiting  it  at  the  spring  shows  held  in 
Edinburgh.  I  was  then  in  East  Anglia,  and  soon  learned  that  it  could 
be  kept  in  excellent  condition  as  late  as  midsummer. 
There  was  at  that  time  many  pages  written  as  to  the  great 
advantage  of  lifting  Vine  roots,  and  no  doubt  there  was  much  good 
accrued  from  the  operation,  and,  in  some  cases,  a  little  mischief  might 
be  in  evidence;  also  I  was  young  and  impetuous  at  that  time,  and  took 
advantage  of  the  good  opportunity  which  then  came  within  my  reach. 
I  was  located  where  a  goodly  number  of  Vines  were  in  as  bad 
condition  as  could  be,  old  large  trunks,  free  growth  of  wood, 
badly  coloured  foliage,  and  fruit  in  small  quantity,  but  worthless. 
The  largest  Vine  in  the  collection  was  Black  Morocco.  Old  employes 
on  the  place  could  not  remember  ever  seeing  any  Grapes  on  this 
Vine,  except  a  few  loose  bunches  with  berries  like  Currants,  for 
size,  and  stoneless  of  course.  Lifting  was  done  early  in  autumn.  The 
roots  had  grown  evidently  far  beyond  the  border  into  an  adhesive  grey 
clay.  Cutting  them  off  was  the  best  we  could  do,  but  the  gross  roots 
retained  were  fibreless.  A  new  border  was  formed  of  turf  carted  fresh 
from  a  field.  The  old  roots  were  laid  out  evenly  and  covered  with 
6  or  8  inches  of  soil.  The  following  year  there  was  a  fair  growth  of 
small  hard  wood  which  ripened  early  in  the  season,  but  on  all  the  Vines 
the  second  season  after  lifting  the  crop  was  excellent,  and  in  every 
respect  the  lifting  process  was  most  satisfactory,  especially  that  whioh 
attended  the  Black  Morocco.  The  bunches  averaged  about  3  lbs.  in 
weight.  The  berries  were  of  immense  size,  somewhat  oblong  in  form. 
The  flavour  brisk  (and  like  Lady  Downe’s)  improved  much  by  keeping. 
This  success  did  not  cease  quickly.  I  left  the  locality,  and  when 
hundreds  of  miles  from  where  this  lifting  operation  was  performed,  my 
successor  (an  excellent  gardener  and  keen  observer)  wrote  to  me 
regarding  Black  Morocco,  stating  that  its  quality  for  hearing,  colour, 
and  flavour  gave  great  satisfaction.  I  grafted  it  (I  think  on  a  Muscat) 
and  the  fruit  was  all  I  could  wish.  When  setting  I  drew  mv  handover 
the  bunches  several  times,  but  setting  was  free  and  no  trouble  was  given 
to  grow  fine  crops.  The  habit  of  the  Vine,  foliage  and  wood,  is  m  ich 
like  Lady  Downe’s.  The  late  Mr.  Thomas  Osborn  of  Fulham  Nurseries, 
said  that  he  understood  Black  Morocco  was  one  cf  the  parents  of  Lady 
Downe’s  Seedling.  The  Black  Morocco  is  much  larger  in  berry  than  the 
last  named,  but  the  flavour  and  substance  were  much  the  same. 
The  largest  of  all  black  Grapes  whioh  I  have  seen  is  Black  Duke,  and 
the  most  distinct  in  flavour  from  any  other  black  Grape  I  have  tasted. 
I  hope  to  see  that  grand  Grape  holding  the  position  among  black 
Grapes  which  I  expected  it  would  have  done  long  before  this. 
—  M.  Temple,  Carron,  N.B. 
Decorative  Chrysanthemums. 
I  AM  obliged  to  Mr.  Jeffries  for  his  kindly  criticism  of  my  note  re 
bush-grown  v.  exhibition  plants  of  Chrysanthemums.  He  is,  of  course, 
quite  as  much  entitled  to  his  opinion  as  I  am  to  mine,  so  in  this  case 
and  on  this  point  I  suppose  we  must  agree  to  differ,  for  I  certainly  do 
not  find  very  large  Chrysanthemum  blooms  as  useful  as  medium  sized 
ones  for  decoration  as  cut  fl  iwers,  and  only  in  oomoarativel  v  fe  w  crses 
on  the  plants.  Dwarf  growing  sorts  that  hold  the  f  >liage  well  and  have 
only  moderately  long  flower  stalks,  such  as  Chenon  de  Leohe  and  others 
of  this  habit,  are  excellent  for  use,  as  your  correspondent  suggests; 
but  tall  growers  and  sorts  with  about  a  foot  of  naked  stem  under  the 
flowers  are  not.  No  one  having  seen  the  fine  exhibits  at  the  Aq  larium 
in  the  vase  and  basket  classes  can  deny  that,  suitably  placed,  these 
large  blooms  are  very  decorative ;  but  in  the  great  majority  of  cases 
gardeners  could  not  afford  to  cut  sufficient  for  their  purpose,  for  it 
must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  foliage  of  such  fl  >wers  soon  wii  hers  after 
being  cut,  and  necessitates  their  being  changed,  so  that  although  the 
large  flower  is  still  fresh  it  is  comoaratively  worthless  owing  to  the 
want  of  foliage.  This  is  wasteful.  With  all  deference  to  your 
correspondent’s  opinion  I  must  adhere  to  my  own,  that  large  fl  >wers  of 
exhibition  standard  are  a  luxury  when  used  for  decoration,  and  that  an 
improved  standard  of  bush-grown  and  other  decorative  plants  is  much 
to  be  desired. — H.  R, 
Book  Gardeners. 
As  a  young  gardener  I  feel  greatly  interested  in  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society’s  examinations,  and  the  comments  thereon 
appearing  from  time  to  time  in  the  Journal’s  columns.  I  entirely  agree 
with  your  very  able  correspondent,  “  A.  Day,  Herts,”  in  his  article  in 
your  issue  of  October  18th,  that  a  certificate  from  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  is  of  no  practical  value  to  a  gardener  who  obtains 
his  living  as  such.  In  fact,  I  will  go  a  step  further,  “  even  if  by  so 
doing  I  expose  my  own  ignorance,”  and  say,  that  education  as  defined 
by  a  knowledge  of  foreign  languages  and  sciences,  in  fact  anything 
beyond  the  three  R’s,  is  wholly  unnecessary  for  gardeners.  That  every 
gardener  who  has  had  the  benefit  of  a  liberal  education  profits  by  it  in 
some  way  there  can  be  no  doubt,  but  that  is  not  the  question.  Now, 
let  us  take  it  for  granted  that  the  object  of  the  more  ambitious  of  our 
brethren  is  to  obtain  the  position  of  head  gardener  in  any  of  the  good 
and  large  gardens  throughout  the  country,  and  let  us  also  glance  at  how 
such  places  are  filled.  How  many  gentlemen  in  engaging  a  new 
gardener  would  pay  the  slightest  attention  as  to  whether  his  prospective 
servant  knows  anything  about  botany, chemistry,  and  geology  ?  Notone 
in  a  thousand.  It  is  not  always  necessary  to  advertise,  but  assuming 
that  such  has  been  done  the  employer  would  make  a  selection  of  a  few 
of  the  best  recommended  applicants  from  gardens  of  repute,  or  those 
known  to  himself,  and  finally  would  select  the  one  most  likely  to  suit 
his  particular  requirements,  regardless  of  his  scholastic  attainments, 
which  would  not  be  called  in  question. 
I  take  it  that  the  employer,  be  he  wealthy  or  penurious,  pays  more 
regard  to  the  quality  of  fruit  and  flowers  grown,  and  the  general 
management  of  his  garden;  and  times  without  number  quite  illiterate 
men  have  given  great  satisfaction.  Then,  again,  a  tactful  tongue  form3 
good  first  impressions  in  employers,  and  if  combined  with  good  recom¬ 
mendations  soon  puts  our  scholastic  friend,  who  may  be  minus  tact,  at 
a  considerable  discount.  These  facts  are,  I  think,  evident  to  everyone 
who  has  had  a  few  years’  service ;  therefore,  what  encouragement 
is  there  for  any  young  man  to  spend  hours  of  hard  study,  with  no 
prospect  of  ultimate  benefit  F  On  the  contrary,  I  have  frequently 
heard  that  in  some  cases  it  does  harm — in  this  way,  that  some  young 
men  are  apt  to  get  conceited,  and  inclined  to  show  off  to  their  chief, 
who  may  be  a  first-class  gardener,  and  one  who  has  no  small  measure  of 
contempt  for  book  gardeners,  and  consequently  our  learned  friend 
cannot  even  get  a  certificate  equal  to  his  ignorant  fellow  worker,  who 
gets  into  his  chief’s  graces  by  servility.  This  applies  to  head  gardeners 
and  their  employers,  as  well  as  masters  and  men.  In  connection  with 
